Abdominal Adhesions Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Abdominal adhesions are important because they are a common cause of
abdominal symptoms, particularly abdominal pain. The term adhesions refers to
the formation of scar tissue between bowel loops (small or large intestine) and
the inner lining of the abdominal wall (peritoneal lining) or with other organs
within the abdominal cavity (liver, gallbladder, uterus and its attached
Fallopian tubes and ovaries, and urinary bladder). Adhesions can also form
between loops of the small and large intestine.

Adhesions form when inflammation occurs on the surface of the abdominal
organs or the peritoneal lining of the abdominal cavity; the formation of scar
tissue is a normal part of healing when there is inflammation. The cause of the
inflammation can vary considerably. It may be due to inflammation of an organ
(for example, cholecystitis,
appendicitis), prior surgery in which organs or the
peritoneal lining are cut, inflammation of the peritoneal lining of the abdomen
(peritonitis), or abdominal radiation treatment. Other causes of inflammation
and scarring include:

handling of abdominal organs at the time of surgery,

foreign objects left inside the abdomen at the time of surgery (for
example, a piece of gauze),